HUDSONVILLE, MI - A West Michigan meat processor who got into hot water by placing a religious article condemning gay marriage in his lunchroom has been vindicated by new federal policy guidelines, according to conservative activist groups.
The new policy guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) protects the rights of workers at USDA-inspected facilities to express their viewpoints through "oral discussion, the display or distribution of literature, or other means."
The new directive springs from an August 2015 incident in which Don Vander Boon, owner of West Michigan Beef Co., placed an article condemning gay marriage on the table of the company's lunchroom.
A USDA inspector removed the literature and complained to his supervisor, who threatened to pull all USDA inspectors out of the facility if the literature reappeared. West Michigan Beef Co. and other meat packing houses are not allowed to operate without a USDA inspector on site, according to federal laws.
USDA officials confirmed the inspectors' action, pointing to an "Anti-Harassment Policy Statement" by Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack that "prohibits written or oral communications that USDA officials consider disrespectful or insult[ing] on the basis of sexual orientation."
In February, an Arizona-based advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom, revived the issue in a letter to newly sworn-in President Donald Trump.
"This family-owned business employs 45 hard-working Americans and helps put food on the table for many families across the Midwest," CEO Michael Farris wrote in his letter to Trump.
"Unfortunately, the Vander Boons are at risk of having their plant shut down and their employees left jobless because of the USDA's unfair targeting of the Vander Boons for their religious beliefs."
Last month, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session's signaled a new policy was coming when he issued a memo that prevented the federal government from acting against someone or a group on the basis of their religious beliefs.
The new policy unveiled by the USDA last week defends the right of employees to express their religious beliefs.
"Employees should expect to find a diversity of religious backgrounds at USDA and the citizens that we serve," the policy said. "Laws and policies have changed, and all USDA employees need to be aware of their responsibility to prevent religious discrimination, including discrimination against religious expression."
The new policy is silent on the issue of sexual harassment, the policy that was cited in the original complaint.
Don Vander Boon, who started the business in 2003 with his wife, Ellen, declined to be interviewed about the new policy, referring all questions to the Arizona-based ADF.
"I never would have imagined that the federal government would threaten to put me and my employees out of work because of religious literature on a breakroom table," Vander Boon said in a statement released by the ADF on Monday, Nov. 6.
"My family and I seek to share God's love and truth with others, and we're thankful that the USDA is now recognizing our right and the right of other Americans to speak freely without facing government persecution," Vander Boon said.
"The First Amendment guarantees all Americans the freedom to believe and the freedom to express those beliefs without fear of being targeted by the government," said ADF Legal Counsel Samuel Green in a statement on Monday, Nov. 6.
"We commend the Trump administration for making clear that the unconstitutional religious and viewpoint discrimination against the Vander Boons at their own private family business will not be tolerated and for recommitting federal agencies like the Department of Agriculture to respecting the First Amendment freedoms of all Americans," Green said.
"I commend Secretary Perdue for correcting an injustice committed under the Obama administration against this family owned meatpacking business," said Travis Weber, Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council in a statement.
"We are pleased that the USDA is as committed to respecting the First Amendment as it is to food quality."